What Labour’s election means for women: the good and the bad
Source: The Conversation
It’s a good day for women’s representation in politics. The proportion of women MPs has reached a record high of 40.6%. Women are expected to hold a number of prominent positions in the new government, including the UK’s first female chancellor. Labour also has a stronger track record of women-friendly policies than the other parties. However, the picture is not entirely rosy.
The newly elected parliament includes 264 women. This figure surpasses the threshold of 40% for the first time – and is a big jump from the previous record of 34.2% in 2019. And women are not just on the backbenches, a number also hold senior frontbench roles, including Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and levelling up secretary.
Women hold numerous positions in Starmer’s first cabinet, including home secretary and education and justice secretaries.
Perhaps most importantly, Rachel Reeves is the new chancellor of the exchequer, surrounded by a team of women advisers. This is a big deal, and not just because of policies explicitly targeted at women. As has been pointed out elsewhere, the general direction of Reeves’s economic policy should help many women in low-paid and part-time jobs.
Read here the full article published by The Conversation on 5 July 2024.
Image by The Conversation
It’s a good day for women’s representation in politics. The proportion of women MPs has reached a record high of 40.6%. Women are expected to hold a number of prominent positions in the new government, including the UK’s first female chancellor. Labour also has a stronger track record of women-friendly policies than the other parties. However, the picture is not entirely rosy.
The newly elected parliament includes 264 women. This figure surpasses the threshold of 40% for the first time – and is a big jump from the previous record of 34.2% in 2019. And women are not just on the backbenches, a number also hold senior frontbench roles, including Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister and levelling up secretary.
Women hold numerous positions in Starmer’s first cabinet, including home secretary and education and justice secretaries.
Perhaps most importantly, Rachel Reeves is the new chancellor of the exchequer, surrounded by a team of women advisers. This is a big deal, and not just because of policies explicitly targeted at women. As has been pointed out elsewhere, the general direction of Reeves’s economic policy should help many women in low-paid and part-time jobs.
Read here the full article published by The Conversation on 5 July 2024.
Image by The Conversation